First group of Afghan refugees arrives in Mexico

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Mexico accepted its first group of refugees from Afghanistan on Tuesday as five women and one man arrived in Mexico City.

They were welcomed by Foreign Relations Secretary Marcelo Ebrard, who told the group, “Welcome to your home.”

The young women, who had to travel through six countries to reach Mexico, have competed in robotics competitions. They fled Afghanistan after the Taliban took control of the country earlier this month. The Taliban have been hostile to women working or going to school after a certain age.

Ebrard said Mexico would grant them “whatever legal status they consider best.” That could include giving them asylum or refugee status.

One member of the group thanked Mexico, saying the country had saved their lives.

“We thank the government of Mexico for saving our lives,” said one of the members of the group, through an interpreter. She argued that thanks to the action of the Latin American country “our history will not end in a sad way because of the Taliban.”

Source: El Financiero

Mexico Daily Post